


Retracing His Steps

by Willowflower_Waterlily



Series: Ella [2]
Category: Dragon Age: Inquisition
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-05-18
Updated: 2015-05-18
Packaged: 2018-03-31 03:54:29
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 441
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3963433
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Willowflower_Waterlily/pseuds/Willowflower_Waterlily
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Companion story to a painting I made.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Retracing His Steps

Looking back, Cullen sees his present, his future behind him, and his chance to start fresh, with her. Before him, Cullen sees darkness and bloodshed, his past, his failures, the loss of innocent lives. Cullen walks down the path in front of him, not looking at the ones he hadn't taken. Darkened paths that were dead ends, lighter paths where he could have made positive change. Throughout the darkness, lyrium is laced through the sky, the veins of an invisible being.

 

A sphere comes into view as Cullen reaches the top of a hill, perfect and silver, and a figure stands before it. Cullen quickens his pace to reach the person, the sphere. As he gets closer, Cullen sees that it's Cole waiting for him. "What is this place?" Cullen asks when he reaches the spirit.

"It is you, and your experiences." Cole smiles at Cullen. "And this is your core, protected, safe. You stayed you." Cullen looks around him, and guilt consumes him as he looks into the darkness that surrounds his core. He wonders if he truly is worthy of the light far off in the distance.

"You are." A third voice makes him jump. Cullen turns around, to see Ella standing beside Cole, light surrounding them both. Ella reaches her hand out to Cullen, and he intertwines his fingers with hers. She reaches out with her other hand, and creates a door into the sphere. "Shall we?"

"Yes, of course." Cullen follows Ella and Cole into his center. He looks around surprised when he takes a step into his core. The air around him is white and gold at the same time, pure and perfect.

"This is you, ma vhenan. This is what you have been all along." Ella wraps her arms around Cullen, leaning into him. Cullen embraces Ella, kissing the top of her head. "You are a good man."

"You care about people, want to help. That is what makes you, you. I like you. I want to help you." Cole says, and all around the three of them scenes from Cullen's life appear around them. All the good he had done for others from when he was a little boy.

"Are you ready to go back, my love?" Ella asks. Cullen nods his head, amazed at all the good he seems to have done throughout his life. When they step through the door to where the darkness, blood, and lyrium were, it's gone. In its place is a golden light, and a sun rise off where he had left his present and future. Ella kisses Cullen's cheek, and beams at him. "Wake up, ma vhenan."


End file.
